This invention relates to a nut cracking apparatus, and more particularly to a home countertop unit for shelling a quantity of edible nuts quickly and efficiently.
In the past, most home nut cracking has been done by using a pliers-like nutcracker which cracks nuts individually. Other press type devices and those which work on the principle of a vice are also well known. These nutcrackers crack nuts one at a time, which is a laborous and time consuming process in order to acquire any quantity of shelled nut meats.
Commercial nut cracking devices generally involve running the nuts through a series of opposed rollers and then separating out the nut meats. Such large assemblies handle a great quantity of nuts and, of course, are much more complex and expensive than necessary for the home.
Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide a nut mill for cracking the shells of edible nuts to permit easy removal of the nut meats.
Another object is to provide a nut mill for shelling a medium quantity of nuts for home use.
Yet another object is to provide a hand operated nut mill which is easy and quick to use.
Another object is to provide a nut mill capable of cracking various sized nuts.
Still another object is to provide a nut mill which has an attractive outer case or housing suitable for countertop display.
A further object is to provide a nut mill employing a rotatable, multi-sided breaker which compresses the nuts against a cracking plate.
A still further object is to drop the cracked nuts, including the shells and nut meats, into a drawer which may be removed from the nut mill.
These and other object and advantages, and the manner in which they are achieved, will be made apparent in the following specification and claims, taken in conjunction with the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiments of the invention.